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$vuetify.icons.faPhone1300 650 620

Support for tradies to take on apprentice critical to delivering more homes for Australia

Media release

Support for tradies to take on apprentice critical to delivering more homes for Australia

Media release
“Tonight’s Budget-reply by the Coalition included a key measure to provide $12,000 of financial support for small businesses and tradies to take on an apprentice and support them through their trade” stated HIA Managing Director, Jocelyn Martin.

“Without an employer, there is no apprentice and financial support for employers is critical to addressing our nation’s chronic skills shortages. 

“The Housing Industry Association (HIA) analysis shows that we are facing unprecedented level of skills shortage in excess of 83,000 more tradies needed right now to build the homes Australia desperately needs.

“We can’t just keep on with current policies and hope that it will solve itself, we need a circuit breaker to address what are long term structural issues in our skills shortages.

“Financial incentives for apprentices to take on a trade are essential, but unless we support the people that employ them, mentor them and guide these young workers through their trades and help them overcome the high dropout rates of apprentices the numbers will continue to decline.

“The financial support outlined by the Coalition for employers to take on an apprentice has the potential to support hundreds of thousands, small businesses in our sector to take on an apprentice and support them through their trade to completion. 

“Too often in the past, we have seen apprentice and employer incentives come and go and where there is no certainty businesses can’t plan or commit with any level confidence or certainty.

“HIA welcomes the Coalition’s commitment tonight for small businesses and calls on all parties to match this. 

“Small businesses need certainty and consistency and what we want to see is this type of support for apprentices and employers locked in as permanent fixture, which recognises the critical role employers play in investing in our future skills now and going forward” concluded Ms Martin.

For more information please contact:

Jocelyn Martin

Managing Director

Simon Croft

Chief Executive - Industry & Policy
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